Ruby

Item Description

The word "Ruby" is universally recognized, even by those who know nothing about gems or minerals. For centuries, faceted Rubies from Mogok, Myanmar have been highly valued around the world. You'll see this material referenced in a many books and articles going hundreds of year. I think it's safe to say that the finest Rubies in the world are found in this area, and are the standard for the material. This gem has an attractive glowing strong reddish-pink color, and is certainly gem quality. It has an "Oval Step" cut. There are some slight inclusions, but the color is strong and saturated when the stone is backlit. This stone is completely natural / untreated, as it dates back decades ago, and was cut "as is", without any method of treatment. It's very important to note that there is NO MINING taking place at Mogok right now. The combination of the pandemic and civil unrest in Myanmar has left all of Mogok empty. There is no mining taking place, and the market is empty the last time we checked. It is unclear when or if mining will resume, and you can rest assured the price of Rubies and other gems from this area will almost certainly be higher once the area is back in production. These gems are disappearing from the market rapidly.
This stone is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, including Bisbee, the Ray Mine, Miami mines, and the Peridot finds on Indian lands in the 1950s-1970s. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special material, and was found in his estate (sold to us recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.